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A daily newsletter by  |
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Today: Legal bills, ballot dates back in court, will they/won't they?, big money, 'spoiler effect,' and highway wildlife corridors get the nod.
Real quick, before you dive in...
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Pennsylvania taxpayers have footed $4.2 million in legal bills and counting as state lawmakers fight over the commonwealth’s participation in a multistate effort to rein in greenhouse gases and combat climate change.
There are two ongoing lawsuits that seek to invalidate the state’s entry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI: one filed by energy companies and labor unions, the other by legislative Republicans.
Commonwealth Court struck down the state’s participation in the program in decisions now being appealed to the state Supreme Court, leaving the legal tab running. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro pitched a cap-and-trade alternative, but related bills have gone nowhere.
Read Spotlight PA's full report: Legal bills top $4.2M in fight over key climate change program. |
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NOTABLE / QUOTABLE
“I really strongly feel a connection to small towns and keeping them alive, and in Central Pennsylvania, that isn’t the easiest task all the time.”
—Lewisburg Main Street Coordinator Lynne Sobel Ragusea as a push to revitalize Pennsylvania’s Main Streets hits a speed bump |
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| Sunset Point at Presque Isle State Park, via Cheryl T. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania. |
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VOUCHER DEBATE: Join us Thursday, Aug. 8 from 6-7 p.m. on Zoom for a live panel on the fight over school vouchers and their future in Pennsylvania. Register here and submit questions to events@spotlightpa.org.
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   'NOT TRACKED': Philadelphia's highly publicized search for 47 homicide suspects is more than a year old and city officials say they aren't sure how many have been caught. The Trace pulled court documents and found out the answer is 17, or 36%. "We have not tracked that particular number," a lieutenant told the outlet. |
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| 🤔 Know your news? Prove it with this week's Great PA News Quiz: Shapiro speculation and Pennsylvania goes to the Olympics. |
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ON FILE: The AP reports: More than a dozen third-party candidates for president, U.S. Senate, and three statewide offices filed paperwork ahead of Thursday’s deadline to get on the ballot in Pennsylvania.
TRIAL PREP: The Bucks County conspiracist accused of killing his father and posting the aftermath to YouTube is fit to stand trial, a judge ruled.
ANIMAL CROSSING: A state lawmaker-commissioned report on highway wildlife corridors recommends the option here, per Bay Journal.
PHILLY PHIFTY: Philadelphia Magazine is celebrating its 50th birthday with this picture search and five decades of its Best of Philly feature.
TOWELS FOR SALE: A charming — if somewhat desperate-sounding — ad for dish towels in Hazleton's Standard-Sentinel newspaper, circa 1959. (Need a beach towel this summer? Spotlight PA has you covered.) |
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Unscramble and send your answer to scrambler@spotlightpa.org. We'll shout out winners here, and one each week will get some Spotlight PA swag. Answers submitted by 5:30 p.m. on issue date will be counted. Please include your first name and last initial. P C M I A O L L E
Friday's answer: Sustainable
Congrats to our daily winners: Marc G., Jody A., Eric F., Jon W., Marty M., Jane R., Richard A., Barbara F., Timothy A., Stacy S., David T., Don H., Annette I., Kathy K., Bob G., Barb K., Wendy A., Julie K., Beth H., Susan N.-Z., Sherri A., Jeff F., Dan E., Eileen Q., Jeffrey F., Elaine C., Tish M., Tom M., Bob C., Craig E., and John P.
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HUB MONEY: Almost 
AD STRATEGY: Ads hitting swing states like Pennsylvania seem designed to